This disclosure relates to processes and apparatus for the production of tight gas and tight oil, and for processed and apparatus used in tight oil refining. These processes are used to release tight gas and tight oil trapped in low permeability rock formations such as shale, sandstone, or carbonate rock formations by techniqued called—extended-reach horizontal drilling and optimized modern hydraulic fracturing. Some of the tight gas produced may be used for making process hydrogen. Tight oil may be locally (e.g., at the location of a producing subsurface well) converted into value added products that are typically used for bitumen diluents, ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and products for jet fuel and production of power.
Technological advancements in extended-reach horizontal drilling and optimized modern hydraulic fracturing are helping to unlock large quantities of tight oil and tight gas trapped in low permeability subsurface rock formations such as shale, sandstone, or carbonate rock formations in, e.g., the United States, Canada and China on a commercial scale. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that about 4.2 million barrels per day of crude oil (or 49% of total U.S. crude oil production) will be produced directly from tight oil resources in the United States in 2015. Hydraulic fracturing has also substantially changed the economic outlook for the U.S. natural gas industry, as shown in the latest Energy Information Agency 2014 annual report:                The report forecasts a 56% increase in total natural gas production between 2012 and 2040;        The above increase is largely due to growth in shale gas and tight gas production;        Shale gas output if forecast to double from 9.7 trillion standard cubic feet (Tcf) in 2012 to 19.8 Tcf in 2040;        The shale gas share of total U.S. natural gas output is forecast to increase from 40% in 2012 to 53% in 2040;        Tight gas production if forecast to increase by 73%, but its share of total gas production is forecast to remain relatively constant.        
Improved hydraulic fracturing processes used to extract tight gas and oil require large volumes of fracking fluid (consisting of, e.g., water, sand/ceramic beads or other proppant, hydrochloric acid (HCl) and small amounts of other chemicals). After a subsurface reservoir formation is fractured, the proppant (e.g., sand/ceramic beads) is left in the fluid pressure induced fractures to keep the fractures open after removing the pressure on the fracturing fluid, which allows the oil and gas to flow to the well through the high permeability paths created by the propped fractures. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) has become an important part of the hydraulic fracturing process. HCl serves to clear cement debris in the wellbore and thereby provides an open conduit for subsequent hydraulic fracturing operations by dissolving carbonate minerals and opening fractures near the wellbore.
There is a strong demand for HCl for the hydraulic fracturing of oil production fields. These fields are usually located in relatively inaccessible areas where truck transportation of liquids is difficult.
It is opportune to produce HCl proximate to oil producing fields and thereby minimize truck transportation requirements. It is therefore desirable to establish local modular HCl production units.
The production of tight gas and tight oil also requires significant amounts of fuels, and among the family of fuels, ultra low sulfur diesel fuel (ULSD) is of economic significance due to the fact that it has to be used for multiple applications among which are, without limitation, fuel for generating power for pumps used in fracking operations, pumpout operations, transportation of equipment and transportation of produced tight oil. Another family of fuels, primarily naphthas and lighter hydrocarbon components, can be refined from tight oil. The naphtha cut can be readily used as bitumen solvent and can also reformed to produce high octane motor gasolines. Another family of fuels, primary in the kerosene cut, can be maximized to satisfy a higher demand for jet fuel by manipulating the kerosene flow rate. Another family of fuels, equivalent to #6 fuel oil, can be produced from tight oils. This family of fuels can be used for local power production applications.
Construction and operation in tight gas and tight oil producing fields are subject to special requirements. The processing plants must be configured for decentralized operation with a high level of operating efficiency to minimize the use of power and human labor resources. Since tight gas is typically widely available, energy usage optimization is of lesser importance in tight gas production. Modules may be used for such processes. The modules used, however, should be configured for operation in adverse weather conditions. Typically due to the geographic location of many tight gas and tight oil fields, the modules have to be sized so that portions of the set of modules used in any particular process or set of processes can be readily shipped by truck.